Core77's Design Directory

Including four permanent, interactive art installations

As a part of the revamp of the Microsoft Theater Lounge, Volvox Labs created four permanent art installations. The first piece titled Momentum is a Microsoft powered kinetic sculpture. Made of locally sourced ash wood. Inspired by the Microsoft logo, the sculpture is also made up of 80 Ultra motion linear actuators, 160 custom milled wooden tiles and 10 micro-controllers.

Circadia is an all-in-one sleep system to track, diagnose and treat your sleep problem. It consists of a sleep tracker that uses NASA inspired radar technology to monitor your sleep habits and a portable wake up light that uses data from the tracker to help you wake up and fall asleep.

…in a diminutive package

BioLite may be an American company, but their workforce would be at home in Holland: More than half of the company's employees commute to work by bicycle. Thus they've created the BioLite Cyclist Light Kit, a diminutive and handy accessory that they're now selling in a 2-pack: I'm digging that

They're also the identical twin of Queen Elizabeth I's neck piece

There's been a lot of "buzz" around BuzziSpace and 13&9's award-winning BuzziPleat, aka giant ruffs that can be used as sound dampeners, lighting, and/or decoration. They look just like this... but are way more functional. Although pretty much anything would be—unless anyone can convince me otherwise, those neck things do not seem to serve a purpose.

Here's an example of solving an impossible problem using clever design. First off, the arena in which the problem exists: Roughly 25% of the world's population have no access to electricity. In these areas using kerosene lamps for lighting is common. The potential for fires and burns from these lamps

Leslie Nooteboom's artful design simulates nature when none can be found

A design problem many attempt to tackle: How to get sunlight into an interior space. 3M does it with materials science. Dr. Diva Tommei does it with robotics. Ross Lovegrove does it with tubes and reflectors. Product designer Leslie Nooteboom is trying it with technology. During her final year of

Hint: not that much has changed

Caged Venetian (or Murano) glass lamps are a nearly timeless inspiration in lighting design. Their mix of metal restraint and trapped organic glass can range from sensual, to exquisitely detailed, to schlocky "Italian style" restaurant decor, and back again. (I have a conspiracy theory that those bad plastic pizza restaurant

A low waste, highly idealistic light

Cardboard, like reclaimed wood, continues to provide inspiration for materials-minded designers. It's tough but soft, ubiquitous and underrated, and incredibly easy to source. Letting the material drive the object is a similarly tried and true source of both innovation and "innovation." The R16 Lamp project aims to join the shipping

Industrial designer Peter Bristol and Juniper bring us Thin

The form factor of chandeliers has grown ever bulkier since its first iteration. What started out as a simple overhead platform to hold candles has steadily grown more ornate, gaudier and heavier. The addition of incandescent bulbs and glass diffusers has eliminated the form-follows-function elegance of the original design. Now

Designing overhead lighting for the first time wasn't easy

The original medieval overhead candle holder is a brilliant piece of "form follows function." We're thrilled to announce we've uncovered original documentation, and even sketches, of a design meeting from the Middle Ages concerning the development of this object. Industrial designers Marcus Chandelier and Phil Ips worked as lighting designers

The young talent section of the Salone del Mobile takes a moment to look back while offering a premier platform for the future of furniture... and food?

As far as themes go, "DESIGN is...?" might be as open-ended as they come. If the vast majority of the 650 young designers exhibiting in SaloneSatellite 2017 are any indication, design is stuff you put in your house, with few deviations from furniture and lighting at the far end of

This transcendent little light recently caught my eye over on Coroflot, where it's adding some shine to Quentin de Coster's design portfolio. The Halo is a blown glass table lamp, created around the fluorescent ring bulb at the center. The light stands 40cm high and 33cm wide, with a distinctive

Gilad, please make a "Dear Ron" update

I will never tire of looking inside artists' studios. Check out visual artist Tenka Gammelgaard's Copenhagen digs: In addition to the beauty of Gammelgaard's space and work, how killer is that lamp? Designed by Ron Gilad for Dutch brand moooi in 2003, it's called the Dear Ingo. (That's a tip

Siyu Lou's Window is a flexible, portable light source

We're always happy to see a bit of experimental and homegrown Chinese industrial design; it is only by promoting young designers that that country will be able to shed their reputation as imitators. Here's recent industrial design grad Siyu Lou's Window portable lamp: Intended as a bedside or reading lamp,

Keep your eyes out for TRÅDFRI... and its teeny remote

IKEA is finally pushing seriously into smarter home territory with the TRÅDFRI system, a series of LED lights finally coming to global stores by the end of March. The networked lighting is built around a small series of bulbs and furniture panels, a network connection hub/gateway powered by Ethernet, and

Or lighting? Or sculpture? I don't know, but I want it

Despite grumpily noting the few options for nice indoor plant lighting the other day, and the few safe plant-incorporating lights before that, I'm grateful that Goula / Figura escaped my attention until now because no one else would have stood a chance. The Barcelona-based duo recently unveiled their Viride series

Bringing a self-sufficient lighting ecosystem to the great outdoors

You know those globe-like paper lanterns that you can get for a couple of bucks at your local Chinatown? Those are great for providing soft, ambient lighting and I've got several in my apartment. They're also terribly fragile, of course, and are only meant to live indoors.

Expanding on their solar lighting line, Peak 720 presented us with the challenge to develop an LED light that users will actually want to display on their key chain, while aligning with the styling of previous Peak 720 products. We incorporated subtle design elements from prior items, while still providing a uniquely aggressive look and feel. Highlighted by its large solar panel coverage and recessed button to prevent accidental activation, we designed this device to be durable and reliable for

All you have to do is stick it onto a window

Sunlight is a precious commodity for office-dwellers, but it's also a double-edged sword. That warming, Vitamin-D-providing light makes you feel alive and illuminates your desk, and yet we have to block it off to prevent blinding monitor glare. 3M has invented a clever way around this. Their Daylight Redirecting

Lacking a signature lighting product, we developed an aggressive and rugged lantern for the PEAK 720 brand, durable enough to withstand drops, dirt and water across multiple environments. The panoramic LED lighting system features five intensity settings and a convex reflector cap provides you with the ultimate lighting experience indoors and out. A removable battery pack in the bottom of the device enables users to charge independently from the unit, and the rubber overmold ensures maximum prot

Industrial style benefits from this kind of play

A recent interior design collaboration by Marta Ayala Herrera and Cito Ballesta resulted in some of the more dynamic lighting I've seen so far this year. Working for the Casa Encendida creative space, the product designer/architect duo aimed to emphasize honesty and simplicity from the materials through their use.

The Orb is about the size of a flattened bagel and boasts a bevy of desirable features

That the traditional light bulb form factor still exists is purely a function of incumbency. On its own it's effective for general illumination, but not much else; it must be aimed, guided and/or reflected with shades and housings to provide the results we want, whether it's ambient lighting or task.

A perfect example of Form Follows Function, with a dash of St. Louis thrown in

The design of LED desk lamps all have a disappointing sameness to them; their creators seem unable to shake the traditional bulb-using form factor, and still think of a flat, weighted base and a stalk reaching upwards to support the light source. These are essentially just skinner, flatter versions of

Mobile devices have long been our personal couriers, delivering the content generated by our digital lives. Every day we absorb a miscellany of notifications, texts, and tweets - all visualized on a flat backlit screen. Nico is an ambient notification device that brings people’s digital lives into their physical world in a unique way.

Get more light while using less electricity

At certain times of year, the sun bounces off of a glass skyscraper outside my window and illuminates my apartment from an unusual angle. And the room then looks dramatically different. The sun has to thread the needle to hit this position, and the phenomenon only lasts for a few

For those who love clean lines and an alliance of form and function

SONNEMAN® – A Way of Light is a leader in Design and Manufacturing of sophisticated contemporary lighting, with a reputation for exemplifying the best in modern design. World-renowned and acclaimed for clean lines and an alliance of form and function, SONNEMAN's award-winning pieces have been at the design forefront for

Use your design skills to transform houses into beautiful living spaces

Our company designs, markets and distributes indoor and outdoor lighting, lamps, fountains, mirrors and other home décor items nationally and internationally to home décor retailers. We offer a challenging fast-paced environment for a new designer with the aptitude and interest in home furnishings and the opportunity to learn, and

Light up your life with a new career

Hudson Valley Lighting is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of lighting fixtures. Our commitment is to deliver the highest quality products and services. Our highly skilled employees take exceptional pride in producing superior quality products. We are a progressive and growing company looking for an individual

Creative UI puts the switch in the middle

At first look Heng is a simple lamp, with a funny cord in the middle. The light, designed by Zanwen Li, really is simple but also more fun than it appears. The bentwood shapes and LED band are everything you'd expect, but to turn the lamp on and off you

Tough, well-designed, overengineered and "bright as hell"

We like a company that empowers its employees, and here's a prime example. Big Ass Solutions is well-known for their Big Ass Fans and Big Ass Lights. Then one of their mechanics, former auto technician Keith McKay, figured he could harness the company's manufacturing and lighting prowess to produce something

Here's a list of exactly where you can watch it in your city

It turns out there are plenty of other places to view today's Winter solstice besides Stonehenge—the guy who started the map/blog Stonhenge in Your City found all of them for us. Whether you're in Uganda, Israel, New York or even Lithuania, there are specific places to take part in celebrating

The AK2 divider

While we all know it looks nice, an open floor plan office can destroy productivity and creativity. But once you've invested in that mega modern wall-free loft office, you have to make the best of it. The AK2 Workspace Divider Lamp was designed by Uli Budde and Ivan Kasner for

Plumen's new 003 lightbulb

For over 137 years, the humble incandescent lightbulb has been the gold standard for indoor lighting. The original electric lighting source has preserved its place in our lives not only for its functional value, but also its particularly captivating luminescence. Despite new lighting options on the market including halogen and